In the 23rd Sept edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
· Four brain-related stories, including new treatments for ADD/ADHT and Alzheimer’s disease.
· Haifa surgeons cure a Palestinian-Arab suffering from severe Alzheimer’s symptoms.
· Israeli miniature cameras will help refuel the International Space Station.
· Israel’s economy is growing more than expected and Internet start-ups have doubled.
· Israel has won through to the World Group of the Davis (tennis) Cup.
· Last week’s JPost Israel Good News descriptive summary
Click here for “A New Year of Creation”
Page Down for more details on these and other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Israeli robotic spine surgery in the USA.
Israel’s Mazor Robotics has just sold its 18th Renaissance robotic
spinal surgical guidance system in the US – this time to the Parker
Adventist Hospital in Denver. Parker is a Blue Distinction Center for
Spine Surgery, so the latest sale is especially prestigious.
NeuroTech – the next big “thing”.
Leading scientists from academia and industry gathered at the US-Israel
Neurotechnology and Neuroscience Conference in Washington to showcase
the latest research and cutting edge technologies in the US and Israel
for investigating brain function and brain disorders.
Neurofeedback – treating ADD/ADHT kids.
BrainGames- Israel monitors a child’s brainwaves whilst they play a
computer game or watch a film. If the child’s attention begins to
wander, the game or film changes, stops or slows. Focussing the mind
continues the action / activity and thus conditions the child’s brain.
Human trials for Israeli Alzheimer’s treatment.
(Thanks to Nocamels.) Ladostigil, from Israel’s Avraham
Pharmaceuticals, relieves behavioural and psychological symptoms of
Alzheimer’s disease. In lab animals, the medication also slows the
progression of symptoms and prolongs life. Results of human trials are
due end 2012.
Million-dollar brain prize.
The organisation Israel Brain Technologies (IBT) is offering a $1
million to anyone who can come up with a breakthrough brain technology,
one that will make life better for everyone. It is aptly named the
Global B.R.A.I.N. (Breakthrough Research And Innovation in
Neurotechnology) Prize.
Hold onto those tonsils.
A team of researchers at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba has
discovered that Montelukast, an anti-inflammatory drug used for the
treatment of asthma, helped open the closed airways caused by enlarged
tonsils. It is an alternative to a major surgical operation for
children.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Israel treats Palestinian Arab for Parkinson’s.
Doctors at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center have cured 51 year-old
Palestinian Arab accountant Tarik Sadek Abu Baker of severe Parkinson’s
disease using Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) therapy. Having been barely
able to move or talk, he now has no visible symptoms.
Interns wanted.
This Janglo advert offers two individuals the opportunity to work at
the Arab Jewish Community Centre in Jaffa (Yaffo). The American Corner
Yaffo (ACY) program includes tutoring services, and After School Clubs
that bring American sports, culture, games, etc to the local children.
Helping women to become doctors.
The Israel Medical Association’s Scientific Council and the Health
Ministry are piloting a program to enable physicians to complete their
hospital residencies in part-time hospital work. It aims to enable young
women to both have families and specialize, thereby reducing doctor
shortages.
Blazing new trails for people with disabilities.
(Thanks to Israel21c) Please read this new feature article on the work
of non-profit organisation Beit Issie Shapiro (BIS). It contains a
description of the BIS Friendship Park (Park Chaverim), Israel’s first
accessible and inclusive playground.
Learn to defend yourself (part 2).
Sgt Rachel Shir presents the second part of the series of how to use
the IDF’s home-developed self-defence martial art Krav Maga to protect
yourself from a violent attack. If you missed the first episode, I’ve
also included the link beneath the latest one.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Electricity from waste.
Israel’s Even Yehuda-based Blue Sphere is to manage two US projects for
producing electricity from biogas – methane originating from organic
waste. Germany’s Biogas Nord will provide the equipment. A further eight
similar US projects are in Blue Sphere’s pipeline.
Nice prize for NICE Systems.
Israeli hi-tech company NICE won the award for Ingenuity in Language
Technology, at the 2012 LT-Innovate Summit in Brussels. NICE’s semantic
inference platform interprets and links the meaning of phrases used by
customers whether through speech, email or social media.
Israeli cameras in orbit.
Israel’s Medigus will supply its miniature video cameras and video
processing equipment for NASA’s Robotic Refuelling Mission. In 2013,
NASA intends to send a robot to the International Space Station equipped
with a 0.99-millimeter camera, which Medigus says is the smallest in
the world.
Smart communications for 1WTC.
The Israeli company Techmer will deploy its smart communication systems
at One World Trade Center (1 WTC), the lead building of the new World
Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The technology
will work during power outages and extreme conditions.
Make your TV recognise your hand signals.
(Thanks to NoCamels) Israeli company eyeSight has joined up with Korean
company Innodigital to produce a TV set-top box that turns any
television set into a gesture-controlled smart TV. The product, called
nTobeBox, will use a simple 2D camera.
Night of the scientists. On 24th
September, twelve top Israeli academic institutions will hold an open
evening showcasing Computer Science to mark the centenary of birth of
Alan Turing, the “father of the computer era”. The public can meet
scientists, tour laboratories, experience workshops and hear lectures
and presentations.
App to add new contacts.
(Thanks to NoCamels) An Israeli application, called Ringya, allows you
to photograph and upload lists of contact addresses to your iPhone. It
even recognises scrappy handwritten addresses, business cards etc.
On the crest of a wave.
(Thanks to Israel21c) Prof. George Weiss, of Tel Aviv University has
created a computer algorithm, which could substantially improve the
functioning of wave energy converters used in producing electrical
energy from ocean waves.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Economy improves. The reason I didn’t publicise last month’s announcement that Israel’s 2nd
quarter GDP growth was a healthy 3.2% was because I didn’t trust the
early figures. That will teach me – the Central Bureau of Statistics has
more up-to-date information and revised up growth for the quarter to 3.4%.
Huge jump in new start-ups.
199 new Israeli start-ups were founded in the second quarter of 2012
compared to 114 in each of the previous two quarters. The majority of
the increase was in the number of Internet companies (102 compared to 53
and 63 in each of the previous two quarters).
Israel innovates in commerce.
Speaking at the HTIA2012 hi-tech conference in Jerusalem, eBay CEO John
Donahoe said that the Israel R&D centers of the E-commerce giant
and its subsidiary PayPal will continue to help drive the company’s
innovation in commerce and payment in the foreseeable future.
India and Israel make fashionable agreement.
Following the Textile and Apparel Show in Israel, India and Israel
signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand business and cooperation
in the sphere of clothing & fashion industries, innovative
technologies and possible solutions for the textile industry.
From little seeds…..
Hishtil Nurseries, based at Moshav Nehalim near Petah Tikva, exports
its specially grafted vegetable seedlings all over the world, including
South Africa and Turkey –countries that don’t have great relations with
the Jewish State. Hishtil’s seeds provide greater yields and are
environmentally friendly.
Milking it in Belarus.
Israel’s AfiMilk has won a large order from Belarus for its advanced
milking parlours. Upgrading the Eastern European country’s milking
system will save its milk industry, which has just suffered a huge blow
by a ban on the import of Belarusian dairy products by the Russian
government.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Israeli victory in Davis Cup.
Israel beat Japan 3-2 in Japan to advance to the top World Group of
tennis’s Davis Cup. Israel’s Amir Weintraub, ranked 223 in the world,
won the high-pressure deciding match in four sets, against Japan’s Go
Soeda who is ranked 170 places above him at number 53.
On the way back up.
Israeli hero Nadav Ben Yehuda is back to his favourite sport. In May,
Nadav abandoned his record-breaking attempt to climb Mount Everest in
order to save a Turkish climber. Now Nadav has scaled the 5,033 meters
(16,512 feet), Georgian peak of Mount Kazbeck, planting an Israeli flag
on the summit.
Israeli honey is the “bees knees”.
The average Israeli consumer will buy two kilos of honey for the
holiday season. Speciality honeys include organic honey, marzipan honey
and halva honey. Flavours are introduced by placing hives near
eucalyptus and citrus, avocado and apple groves. Or try onion and desert
flower.
In the swim.
10,000 participated in the annual Crossing Kinneret (Sea of Galilee)
Swim – one of the largest amateur sports events in Israel. They included
the British Ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould who led a team of
swimmers from the UK Embassy.
THE JEWISH STATE
Israel hosts security conference.
The International Homeland Security Conference will take place in Tel
Aviv during November. Its speakers include a former US Chief of Staff,
the Head of Security for FIFA 2014 and the Chief Commander of Milan’s
Police. Plus a host of Israeli experts, of course.
“Suddenly we’re Jews”.
The organisation Shavei Israel has helped many people discover their
Jewish roots. Here are three moving stories about how it helped a
Portuguese, a Chinese and a Pole to reconnect with their ancestors.
US volunteers in Israeli schools.
The number of high calibre college North American graduates
participating in the Israel Teaching Fellows program, has grown from 68
last year to 170 in the current school year. Teaching in Israel is a
meaningful volunteer opportunity, helps build a strong resume and
strengthens bonds.
Israeli prisons are like paradise.
Please tell anti-Israel activists at Amnesty International to watch
MSNBC’s program “Lockup”. Jews and Israeli-Arabs are housed together and
sometimes share cells. “I feel like I am in a hotel,” says one
Israeli-Arab “resident”. Released prisoners achieve high levels of
reintegration into society. Education, skills training and job placement
helps prevent repeat offences. And read about Hamas inmates!
Oo La La – Aliya.
There are 600,000 Jews in France, but one in every 300 is immigrating
to Israel. French immigration first spiked above 2,000 in 2002 and
reached nearly 3,000 in 2005. The French Consulate in Tel Aviv estimates
that as many as 150,000 French Jews live in Israel. Many live in
Netanya.
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